Rialto City Council Tuesday night unanimously voted to approve sweeping increases in development impact fees, many for the first time in more than a decade.

The revised fees, which will be phased in over a period of four years, places Rialto in the middle with its fee structure, when compared to other cities in the area.

“We wanted to retain our competitive posture,” Robb Steel, assistant to the city administrator and development services director, told the council prior to its vote.

There will be a six-month grace period to encourage developers pondering development to move ahead prior to when the fees take effect on July 1, Steel said.

There was no opposition to the proposal.

Instead, the lone person to address the council during a public hearing on the issue was in favor of it.

Bryan Goodman, a vice president with the Upland-based Lewis Group of Companies, said his company was in favor of the increases and praised the city staff for working with the development community while developing the fee structure.

Council member Ed Palmer, said, “the increases are a long time coming.”

Council member Joe Baca Jr. said that “raising fees does not mean we are anti-business or anti-developer…this is a way to promote smart growth.”